I Like You
by WriterFreak001
Summary: Senior High wasn't the first time Chen Xiao Xi told Jiang Chen she liked him. In fact, he's heard her confession every school year since primary school. What if, one day, he decides to beat her to it?
1. Chapter 1

**WriterFreak001:**

Since FanFiction wouldn't allow new categories to exist on the public site without a story, I wanted to write a short fluffy story to fill in the gap. ^_^ Please enjoy!

Note: Dialogue is in Italics to indicate the Chinese spoken language.

* * *

 **Title** | I Like You

 **Fandom** | _A Love So Beautiful /_ **致我** **们单纯** **的小美好**

 **Description** | Senior High wasn't the first time Chen Xiao Xi told Jiang Chen she liked him. In fact, he's heard her confession every school year since primary school. What if, one day, he decides to beat her to it?

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated K.

 **Disclaimer** | I don't own anything except for the storylines. ^_^

* * *

 **I Like You**

 *** Part One: Sixth Year – Primary School (6** **th** **Grade) ***

 **致我** **们单纯** **的小美好**

She waited for him like she always did, but when he walked out of the apartment complex, the atmosphere was different. Just a few days ago, Jiang Chen had bought a book for his younger brother, and he seemed really happy. He smiled, even. And yet… Something was off today… Jiang Chen wasn't himself.

He usually walked the same pace as Xiao Xi, and it never seemed to bother him that she wasn't a fast walker, but he didn't even notice her when she greeted him. Or when she waved. Or started following him. In fact, by the time she tried to catch up to him around the corner, he was already out of site.

She sighed and began walking to school alone, hoping she wouldn't miss the bell.

But with her luck, just as she crossed the first street, it began to downpour with rain, drenching her from head to toe. She picked up her pace and started jogging, grateful the school wasn't too far from the complex. She could see it in the distance! If she ran faster, she could make it in time, she was sure of it! Holding her backpack tightly to her shoulders, she could hear the books in her bag jostling in every direction as she started to run, but she didn't care. All she cared about was making it to school on time because one more tardy meant one more detention, and one more detention meant no walking home with Jiang Chen!

She then grew excited when she spotted him close to the school's entrance and called out to him, hoping he would hear her and wait. But even she knew it would almost be impossible to hear anything with the rain slamming down as hard as it was. As she passed the second to last street before her school, a roar of thunder and a clash of lightning startled her, and she lost her footing. The right side of her temple scraped against the pavement, and her hands and arms stung with red, bleeding scrapes. Her knee was scratched up too. She tried to pick herself up off the ground, but her ankle jerked from a sudden onslaught of pain, and she dropped downward, wanting to cry. As she tried to stand up again, she was startled to find Jiang Chen knelt with his back facing her. She didn't have to ask to know what he was trying to do.

" _Jiang Chen…_ ," she sounded pitiful and grateful all at once as she sniffed loudly, the noise drowned out by the rain. Carefully, she hooked her arms around his neck. As he stood up, she wrapped her short legs around his torso, and he looped his arms around her legs for extra support. She didn't know if she should be happy, surprised or embarrassed to have him carry her on his back, but she buried her face into his back as best as she could, in hopes that nobody would notice.

Luckily, they made it inside the gate before the bell rang.

Casually and silently, Jiang Chen walked Xiao Xi inside the school's doctor's office and gently lowered her onto the bed. As Cheng-dàifu rose from her desk, her savior quickly said, " _She fell and scraped herself up as well as hurt her ankle pretty badly_. _I'll let our instructor know where she is._ " He started to leave, but Xiao Xi grabbed his sleeve. He instantly turned towards her, his eyebrows lift slightly as if he was asking her a silent question.

Xiao Xi bit her lip and flushed a little. _"Thank you, Jiang Chen."_

The boy nodded slowly. Then he realized something. _"Your school jacket…and your pants…,"_ he pointed to the tears in her uniform, _"I'll be right back."_ Without a word, he left the infirmary, leaving Cheng-dàifu to dress her wounds.

Xiao Xi took off her burgundy, soaking wet school jacket as instructed, and Cheng-dàifu hung it up to dry. Her white shirt underneath was nearly plastered to her skin, and she suddenly felt exposed. Cheng-dàifu first cleaned up the blood on the side of her face and placed a bandage on her forehead. _"Your white shirt,"_ she said as she dabbed at the scrapes on her arms, _"It has drops of blood on it."_

" _My mama will wash it out tonight."_ Xiao Xi replied, not really caring about the red stains on her shirt.

Cheng-dàifu smiled a little and nodded while lifting Xiao Xi's pant leg to dress her knee. She carefully dabbed a cotton ball doused with hydrogen peroxide against her wound before banding that injury as well. As she began to take off Xiao Xi's right shoe, Jiang Chen came bursting into the infirmary with a bag of clean clothes.

He took a minute to catch his breath before saying, _"I got permission to go home and grab these…,"_ he paused when he noticed how her white shirt clung to her chest and tried not to flush from embarrassment. He shook away his thoughts and glanced at the wall behind his childhood friend, avoiding her eyes. _"This was my uniform last year before my growth spurt. It might still be a little to large, but it would fit better than anything else._ "

He placed the folded clothes on top of the bed, next to Xiao Xi and headed for the door. " _I've let Li-l_ _ǎ_ _oshī know why you're late for class. You will not receive a demerit."_ And just like that, he was gone.

Xiao Xi would treasure his old uniform forever.

* * *

School, for the most part, was dull and boring as usual, but the thought that she was still wearing Jiang Chen's old clothes kept her smiling. On their way home, since the rain was no longer around, Jiang Chen carried her on his back like he did before. She thought, maybe, he was only doing that to be nice, but she didn't care. It made her happy nonetheless.

Xiao Xi bit her lip and found herself mindlessly tightening her arms around his neck, but he didn't seem to mind. After what felt like a thousand years of silence, Xiao Xi finally decided she should say something before he arrived home, otherwise, it would be too late.

" _Thank you_ ," she whispered quietly into his ear, unaware of the strange sensation he felt from the close contact. He suddenly decided he liked hearing her voice. _"Thank you for helping me after I fell and for lending me your old clothes."_

"Hmn," was all he said, keeping his focus on the path ahead. And then eventually, _"You can keep the uniform. It doesn't fit me anymore, so I have no use for it."_

" _Let me treat you to hot pot sometime as a 'thank you.'"_ Xiao Xi was suddenly chipper.

Jiang Chen smirked. _"You don't have enough money to buy a hot pot."_

She dramatically rolled her eyes. _"That's why I said 'sometime.' I'm going to save up for it."_

Jiang Chen shook his head slowly. _"Have it your way."_

She beamed. _"I almost always do!"_ She then tapped him incessantly on the shoulder. _"Jiang Chen?"_

" _Hm?"_

" _Why were you upset this morning? And don't tell me you weren't because I'm good at knowing these sorts of things. I'll find out eventually, so you might as well tell me."_

A small wave of silence washed over pair as they neared their neighborhood. Eventually, he spoke. " _My mom's job wanted to transfer her to Beijing to expand the company, and without discussing it, she decided to go. She took my younger brother with her."_

" _Oh_ ," Xiao Xi pressed her lips together, unsure what to say after that. _"Is she… Is she coming back?"_

" _She'll visit…, but I don't know if she'll ever move back. It seemed like she's planning on staying in Beijing for long term."_ Jiang Chen replied in a low voice, not really wanting to talk about it.

But when they finally reached their street, Xiao Xi found the courage to say, " _If you're ever feeling lonely or don't want to eat alone, our home is always open. Mama always has good food, and lots of it, too!_ "

She didn't know it, but Jiang Chen cracked a small smile. " _Thanks. Auntie is always so nice. I'll keep it in mind."_ As they reached the front of the complex, he asked, _"You think you can make it up the steps by yourself?"_

Xiao Xi shook her head. " _My ankle is still pretty sore."_

Jiang Chen nodded and said nothing else as he opened the door to the inside stairwell. He walked her up to her family's apartment and waited for her to take out her spare key so he could unlock the apartment door for her. She paused while looking for it, suddenly remembering exactly where she left it… on her bed.

" _You forgot your keys again, didn't you?"_

Xiao Xi sighed in defeat. " _Yeah."_

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes and tried not to smirk as he knocked on the door for her but didn't hear a response. _"I thought you said your door is always open."_

"You know what I meant," she playfully smacked his shoulder. _"They must be out somewhere…"_ She thought for a moment. _"Usually, they go grocery shopping around this time so maybe they're at the store."_

" _Then we'll wait upstairs at my place."_ Jiang Chen said unexpectedly, changing direction to head towards his apartment. Once at the door, he pulled out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the handle before walking them inside. He closed and locked the door before placing her down on the ivory couch. _"We'll wait here until your parents come home. Then, I'll help you back down the stairs."_

" _Okay,_ " Xiao Xi nodded slowly. He then dropped to his knees in front of her and took her shoes off before tossing them towards the main door. Without warning, his hands were cupped around her ankle, and she hissed in response to his touch.

" _Does this hurt?"_

" _A little."_

" _What about when I do this_?" he asked as hegently and slowly pushed her foot towards her shin. In response, she yelped in pain and nearly kicked him in the face as a jolt of discomfort shot through her body. Xiao Xi wanted to die from embarrassment.

" _I'll go get some ice,"_ Jiang Chen couldn't help but smirk as he rose to his feet and walked away only to come back a few minutes later with a bag of said ice. He wrapped the bag in a towel and gently placed it against her ankle. _"Does that feel a little better?"_

" _A little,"_ Xiao Xi replied, biting her lip in response. He then propped her foot up on the coffee table, placing a pillow between her heel and the glass. _"Thanks,"_ she whispered, surprised when he sat next to her, voluntarily. He turned on the TV and flipped to a random channel for some extra background noise as if he was trying to distract himself from something. Xiao Xi closed her eyes as the sound droned into her ears, and Jiang Chen eventually followed suit, exhausted from carrying her home.

Neither could remember how or when they dozed off, but when Jiang Chen woke up much later, his eyes popped open to find Xiao Xi's head resting on his shoulder. A small grin found his lips, and he shifted a little, tilting his head towards hers before closing his eyes again, wanting to enjoy the moment while he still could.

His defense: people shift sleeping positions all the time.

About an hour later, Xiao Xi woke up and smiled from the closeness between her and Jiang Chen but knew she must get back to her apartment before her parents decide to send a search party for her. Gently nudging Jiang Chen awake, he slowly opened his eyes and lifted himself off her. _"Sorry,_ " he apologized as if his little act was an innocent accident. She only nodded with a small grin before stretching her arms. _"How's your foot?"_ He stood up and walked around the coffee table before extending his hand towards Xiao Xi to help her up.

She tried rolling it, but the pain was too great. " _It still hurts,"_ she lied, " _but I think I'll manage."_ She carefully rose to her feet and tried walking the pain off, but it was still too painful to add any pressure to her foot.

She nearly stumbled over, but Jiang Chen was quick to catch her.

" _Careful,"_ he sighed, turning around to offer his back again. _"I'll carry you down."_

Like the time before, she hesitated at first but didn't take as long to climb onto his back before he started heading towards the door. When they arrived at her apartment, she knocked on the door and called out to her parents, but like the first time, no one answered. She frowned. _"What time is it? They should be here by now."_

" _It's almost 5 p.m. Did they say they were going anywhere else? Out of town for instance?"_ Jiang Chen offered, but Xiao Xi shook her head. As if on cue, her cellphone buzzed in her back pocket.

She reached for it and flipped it open to check it. After reading the message, she sighed. _"Looks like I'm sleeping on the stairs tonight. Mama just told me that she had Papa take her to a vendor in Beijing to convince him to sell some of her trotters, and they're not going to leave until the vender caves."_

Jiang Chen pursed his lips and thought for a moment. " _You can stay in my younger brother's old room for the night, and if your parents aren't back by morning,_ _we can find the landlord and have him open the apartment."_

Xiao Xi swiftly grinned ear to ear. " _Really?! You'll let me stay_?!"

Jiang Chen paused to contemplate his decision, wondering if he made the correct one. He then nodded. _"But your parents can't know… I don't want them getting any wrong ideas. Tell them you decided to stay with a friend… any friend… any female friend."_ Jiang Chen started back up the stairs as he heard Xiao Xi typing away on her phone. Then he realized something. _"Are you hungry?"_

Xiao Xi nodded swiftly as her stomach growled at the same time. Jiang Chen chuckled lightly as he headed back down the stairs towards the metal door. _"Let's eat out. I've got no food in the kitchen."_

" _Lead the way."_

* * *

Xiao Xi had been given one of Jiang Chen's old shirts to wear to bed, but no matter how comfortable the bed was, she still couldn't sleep. The mere thought of wearing something that Jiang Chen once wore had her head swimming more so than the uniform he had given her. The shorts he let her borrow proved to be very big and didn't fit her, so she had to go without and just wear her undergarments underneath.

She wasn't complaining though.

Quietly, she pulled out her phone and checked the time. 2:17 a.m. Not sure what else to do, she pressed the "Talk" button on her phone and called Jiang Chen. To her surprise, he answered. _"Hm?_ "

" _Did I wake you?"_

" _No."_ She heard him yawn, and she couldn't help but quietly giggle. " _What do you need?"_

" _I need some water."_ She replied as she leaned forward to rub her foot. Bad idea. Pain shot through to her knee, causing her to groan. " _Can you get me some?"_

There was a pause. _"Sure. Hang on."_

Though the line went dead, she heard him shuffling out of his bedroom and slowly walking towards the kitchen. She heard him turn the water on and then, a few seconds later, turn it off. A few minutes later, he stepped inside his brother's room. She was glad it was mostly dark because the shirt was slipping off one of her shoulders, exposing quite a bit of skin.

" _Here,"_ he offered, using the moon light to guide him to her. She took the glass and downed it all in one.

" _Thanks, that might help cool me down a little."_ She smiled in appreciation and then handed him the glass.

He took it and started walking towards the door. _"If your hot, don't sleep with the covers on. Or, if you want the covers, then shedding layers of clothes works too."_ He blushed a little, curious of her reply.

He could vaguely see her suddenly wrapping her arms around herself. _"This is the only thing I'm wearing… ex-except for my… Anyway, I'm not doing that. I'll just take off the covers. That's easier and less embarrassing."_

" _Sure. That's probably the wiser decision."_ He scratched his head, ruffling his already-messy hair before starting for the door.

" _Jiang Chen?"_

" _Hm?"_

Xiao Xi's cheeks were on fire. " _Can you help me take off these sheets?"_

" _Oh,"_ he swallowed thickly, " _Sure_."

He didn't sleep a wink that night.

* * *

Luckily, by the time Xiao Xi woke up, changed back into Jiang Chen's old uniform and was escorted back down to her apartment, her parents were home, making breakfast. Knowing their klutzy daughter, Xiao Xi's parents didn't ask any questions when they watched Jiang Chen carry her inside the apartment, but her mother did run up to her when she noticed Xiao Xi's bandages.

" _Jiang Chen helped me,"_ she explained after telling them what happened, _"And after my foot heals, I want to treat him with a hot pot."_ Jiang Chen lifted his eyebrows, curious as to how this conversation was going to go.

" _Sure. Of course,"_ Xiao Xi's mother replied. _"Treat him well, Xiao Xi."_

" _Will you give me money, then? When I'm better?"_ She was so delighted and hopeful.

" _Certainly."_ Her mother smiled brightly. _"Anything to reward Jiang Chen for his kindness."_

Xiao Xi was grinning ear to ear and then gave Jiang Chen a quick wink. He rolled his eyes and shook his head before heading back towards the door. _"I'm glad Auntie and Uncle are back home safely from Beijing. I'll leave Chen Xiao Xi in your care."_ He bowed with respect. _"I'm going back home. I need to finish getting ready for school."_

* * *

Xiao Xi held onto Jiang Chen tightly as he walked both of them to school later that morning. The last day was quite the whirlwind, but she somehow felt closer to Jiang Chen than she did a few days ago. When she spotted the school in the distance, she whispered his name. _"Jiang Chen?"_

He turned his head slightly towards her, and their eyes met for a brief second before he returned his attention back to the road. " _Hm?"_

She poked his shoulder gently. _"I like you."_

He almost stopped in his tracks but to keep appearances, he recovered quickly, unable to hide the smirk on his face. Before he could say something, she rested her forehead against his shoulder and whispered, _"You don't have to say anything. In fact, I don't want you to. I'm too afraid you'll say something I don't want to hear… But from now on, every year on this date, I'll remind you of my feelings. Only respond when you're absolutely sure you like me too. If you remain quiet, at least I know there's hope."_

Jiang Chen kept silent as instructed.

He honestly didn't know how he felt for Chen Xiao Xi, but somehow, he really liked hearing those words from her. And one day, when he's mature enough, he hoped he would eventually say them too.

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

 **Thank you for reading! This will be a multichapter story so I hope you stick around for more! I hoped I made these two in character for sixth graders since that's around the age that kids start to develop feelings for other kids.**

 **Vocabulary:**

-dàifu: Chinese suffix for medical doctor.

-lǎoshī: Chinese suffix for general teacher.


	2. Chapter 2

**WriterFreak001:**

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! That means sooo much to me and fuels my motivation! :D (I say that, but I've been staring at this document for like an hour, trying to figure out the next chapter in this story, lmao).

 **Note:** Dialogue is in Italics to indicate the Chinese spoken language.

 **Note #2:** I have never been to China, nor do I know much about Chinese schooling other than what I've seen in dramas or read online, but I have noticed a pattern that many school teachers are strict with their students. Even though Jiang Chen and Chen Xiao Xi's homeroom teacher from the series (I can't remember her name at the moment) was softer than the headmaster, she still was rather strict at times. I'm basing part of this chapter off of that concept, but I might have gone a 'little' overboard with it. Oops.

* * *

 **I Like You**

 *** Part Two : Seventh Year – Junior Secondary School (7** **th** **Grade) ***

 **致我** **们单纯** **的小美好**

* * *

 **JIANG CHEN**

Chen Xiao Xi hopped to her feet the moment she saw Jiang Chen leaving the apartment building and raced to greet him as she did every morning. She wore her big, trademark smile and skipped down the road beside them as they started their way to school. He had to purse his lips together to keep himself from smirking as she began babbling on and on about the newest game at the internet café. Of course, he had already beaten the highest score three times since its release, but he didn't care. He liked hearing her voice, so it didn't matter what she was saying, only that she would keep talking to him. Little, did she know; her presence meant a great deal to Jiang Chen (but he still was trying to figure out why).

" _Jiang Chen?"_

" _Hm?"_

She spun around to face him and began walking backwards with her hands wrapped firmly around her backpack straps. Jiang Chen immediately reached out for Xiao Xi's arm and tugged her gently to the right so that she wouldn't crash into a street light (a habit she had somehow developed in her continuous state of oblivion). He didn't really mind the occasional heroic efforts to keep her from harm, but after it became a constant reoccurrence, he couldn't help but wonder if she was acting ignorant on purpose. But then he would remind himself that despite Xiao Xi's many virtues and talents, planning ahead was certainly not one of them.

" _My parents will be out shopping for a new TV this afternoon, so they probably won't be home when school is over. Do you mind if I hang out with you until they're back?"_ Xiao Xi seemed so hopeful; how could he say no?

He nodded slightly but didn't say anything right away. But then, he had a thought. _"I need to swing over to the bookstore after school; feel free to tag along. I know you like reading the comics there."_

A bright smile colored Xiao Xi's lips at the invitation and nodded swiftly. _"I'd really like that! Which reminds me! Do you read the Japanese manga series, 'Full Moon wo Sagashite'? I think a new volume came out yesterday!"_

" _Never heard of it,"_ was all he said before she spun around and started walking backwards again.

" _In that case, I'll tell you then!"_ Xiao Xi beamed, her fingers clenching her backpack straps tightly. _"First, it's about this young, teenage girl who lives a strict life with her grandmother. Her parents were killed when she was very small, but the one thing she remembered about them was that they both loved singing and playing music… But here's the thing – as much as she loves singing like her parents did, not only does her grandmother hate listening to music, but Mitsuki – the girl's name – is also diagnosed with a form of throat cancer…."_

As she enlightened Jiang Chen about her latest favorite manga series, he let out a sigh amidst her explanation and reached out for her arm, again, to pull her out of the way of an oncoming cyclist. By the time she was done with her not-so-brief synopsis, they had arrived at the school gate.

It was their first day of their first year of Junior Secondary School, and though they're attending a new building and having a new teacher, Jiang Chen didn't expect this year to be much different than the last. He would pass all of his classes with perfect grades, meanwhile Xiao Xi would struggle and eventually beg him for help. She somehow always pulled through by the end of the year, but Jiang Chen never really understood what always made her so motived towards the last few months than the first few months, but he was glad she seemed to continue persevering (even if it was at the very end).

" _Since we'll be in the same class again this year and probably won't know many of the other students, do you think you can tolerate sitting next to me? I know you don't really care for sitting next to people you don't know – even if you don't really show it, so I figured you could focus better on your studies if you weren't worried about sitting next to a possible stranger."_ Xiao Xi skipped a few steps down the outdoor hallway along the school courtyard, and he couldn't help but smirk in response.

She really did know him much better than he thought she did, but despite not really liking people (in general), sitting next to anyone other than Xiao Xi never distracted him from his studies; in fact, Xiao Xi had a famous habit for distraction so most of the time, he was actually more worried about Xiao Xi harming his focus instead of other students. But, since she _was_ nice enough to think about him, who was he to say no? Then he wouldn't have to deal with a sad (and possibly mad) Xiao Xi on the way home which was much, much worse than the alternative.

He followed Xiao Xi into the classroom but nearly stumbled behind her when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, and just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, he spotted the issue almost immediately. Though the tardy bell had not rang yet, almost every student was sitting in their chosen seats already, leaving them two separate desks on opposite sides of the room. Xiao Xi just stood frozen in front of him with wide eyes filled with disappointment, so he leaned closer to her ear facing away from the class and whispered, _"There's always lunch period"_ before worming his way around her and swiftly finding his seat next to the window at the far end.

When he noticed she was still standing there, her eyes glued to him, he discreetly flickered his eyes towards the empty seat on the other side of the room as the tardy bell rang and gestured her to move quickly before the instructor arrived.

But it was too late.

Before Xiao Xi could move, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie walked in with a scowl on his face as if he was already in a bad mood and stood right behind her, his frown deepening. _"You there!"_ his voice boomed, causing Xiao Xi to practically jump out of her skin, " _why aren't you in your seat! The bell rang!"_

Xiao Xi, almost frantic, scrambled away from the instructor and scurried to the empty seat before hiding her face behind her books.

The instructor hovered over to where she was and peered down at her. " _And what is your name?"_

Xiao Xi's mouth opened and shut, but no words came out. The instructor lifted the top book on her desk and slammed it hard in front of her, causing the entire class to jump a little. He then turned to the class. _"Since this troublemaker is too cowardly to speak for herself, five bonus points on the next test to anyone who knows her name."_ Jiang Chen kept quiet, not wanting to get involved but wishing there was something he could do to help Xiao Xi out. _"Anyone?"_

Thankfully, no one said anything. He tsked three times and leaned closer to Jiang Chen's childhood friend.

" _Since the classmates who know you seem to be too fond of you to give up your name, I'll just have to find it the old-fashioned way."_ Xiao Xi gave no reaction and kept staring at her books. The instructor inhaled deeply, quietly counted to three, and brought his clipboard out from underneath his arm and began calling each of the students' name. He purposely skipped over Xiao Xi's name and unfortunately for her, all students were present. The only name unchecked was Xiao Xi's, Jiang Chen surmised. _"Since we now know your name, I want you to go to the board and write it in traditional Chinese and Pinyin."_

She didn't move.

" _Are you deaf?!"_ his angry finger pointed towards the blackboard. _"Do it now or receive two demerits for being tardy and not following instructions."_

Jiang Chen watched silently as Xiao Xi slowly rose to her feet and scuffled over to the board. Her hand shook as she wrote her name on the chalkboard, making her usually nice handwriting rather sloppy. Once finished, she shamefully shuffled back to her seat, but the instructor blocked her from sitting down.

Her eyes hesitantly glanced up, and the instructor crossed his arms in front of his chest and said, _"Pick up your chair and set it outside the classroom. When your done, return to your desk."_ To avoid further embarrassment, Xiao Xi worked quickly and did as he said, abandoning her chair outside. _"Since you weren't interested in sitting down by the time the bell rang, you will not have a seat for the rest of the school day. You will stand throughout the entire class period before and after lunch as well as during detention."_

Xiao Xi balked, but said nothing and bowed her head in shame. As the instructor made his way to the front of the room, he introduced himself. _"My name is Bi Zhao Sha, and I won't tolerate misbehavior of any kind. Let Chen Xiao Xi be an example of what will happen if anyone is not seated by the time the bell rings. If any of you are late after lunch, you will be facing the same consequence as her. Are we clear?"_

Everyone but Chen Xiao Xi nodded, and with little to no distraction, Instructor Bi began the lesson on History of China, slowly taking his time as if to spite Xiao Xi. When lunch finally came around, the class was dismissed, and Xiao Xi practically sank to the floor the moment the teacher was gone. Jiang Chen closed up his text book and began making his way over to her but was stopped by another female student.

" _You wouldn't happen to be Jiang Chen, would you?"_

Jiang Chen nodded slightly as his eyes caught Xiao Xi looking at him. She slowly rose to her feet and quietly waited by her desk.

" _My mother is on the school board, and she said you would be in my class,"_ the girl smiled softly, _"I'm so glad to meet you finally. She said you were the valedictorian of your primary school, so I hope to learn a lot from you."_ Without warning, the girl linked her arm around his and started pulling him towards the door. _"My name is Li Wei, and I have a good feeling we're going to be great friends. Do you mind sitting with me and my friend, Qiau Lu at lunch today? We're all new at that school so it's important to make friends with as many people as possible..."_ As she rambled on and on about the importance of friendship, Jiang Chen wasn't given a chance to deny her invitation. He gave Xiao Xi an apologetic look as he was whisked away by Li Wei, wishing Xiao Xi wouldn't be upset later.

* * *

It was almost fifteen minutes later when he saw Xiao Xi again. She was walking slow, her usual perkiness gone, and was making her way to the lunch line. Ten minutes passed until she was on her way to the table he was sitting at. He subtly gestured for her to sit in the seat next to him, but just as Xiao Xi placed her tray down on the table, Qiao Lu immediately rose to her feet, circled around the table and blocked Xiao Xi from taking the chair. _"You can't sit here! We're saving it."_

Jiang Chen and Xiao Xi glanced around for anybody left in line to buy their food, but other than faculty, everyone else seemed to be seated. They shared a brief, mutual look before turning their attention back to Qiao Lu.

Jiang Chen was the first to speak. _"No one else is coming. If you were saving that spot for somebody, they would have showed up almost ten minutes ago."_

" _Qiao Lu,"_ Li Wei whispered softly, _"who else are we waiting for?"_

Qiao Lu paused for a moment, but before she could say anything, a male student just sat down a few tables over, and she grinned. " _He is."_ She swiftly marched over to him and said a few words to him. The next thing they knew, the scrawny student with glasses followed Qiao Lu after she had grabbed his tray. Moving Xiao Xi's tray to the side, Qiao Lu replaced it with the one in her hands. _"Lu Yang from the next classroom over from ours will be sitting here."_

She grinned a snooty smirk and then sent Xiao Xi a glare. _"You're an embarrassment to our class for getting in trouble on the first day; go eat somewhere else."_

Jiang Chen's eyes found Xiao Xi's, and she appeared distressed. Had he known the emotional turmoil he was obliviously subjecting himself to, he would have intervened right then and there to change the outcome, but as life would have it, he was predestined to deal with all emotional states of Chen Xiao Xi, including the messy ones.

When he didn't speak up, she bowed her head in shame and muttered, _"Oh…,"_ her voice cracked, _"I see…_ "

Without so much as a glance in his direction, Xiao Xi started to walk away but not before Qiao Lu "absentmindedly" moved her foot out in front of her and tripped the poor girl, sending her food everywhere. What's worse? Not a single sound was made as everyone stared at her, and when she started to slowly gather whatever was left of her food, students and even faculty began laughing.

Xiao Xi was on the verge of crumbling, he just knew it. He started to stand up to help her, but Lu Yang was faster. He froze and then slowly sat down, watching Lu Yang help Xiao Xi clean her food up off the ground. He then took her tray and dumped it since there was no food left that was salvageable. He should have chased after her when she pushed herself to her feet and darted out of the cafeteria. He should have called Qiao Lu out for bullying her, but the words didn't come. He clenched his fists tightly as Qiao Lu sat back down as if she didn't just trip Xiao Xi.

" _A disgrace and a klutz, how unfortunate," was the only thing she said before continuing eating her lunch._

" _Qiao Lu,"_ Li Wei whispered, _"That wasn't nice!"_

Qiao Lu scoffed and rolled her eyes. _"Puh-lease. People need to learn their place within these walls. I was doing the school a favor."_

Lu Yang grabbed his tray and slammed it down really hard, hard enough to make a loud smacking noise. Jiang Chen, Qiao Lu and Li Wei gave him their attention immediately. _"If this is the kind of people you are,"_ Lu Yang scowled, _"then I would rather eat with wolves than eat with jerks like you."_ He pushed up his glasses and frowned deeply. _"The only disgrace I see is who's in front of me. I hate bullies like you! All of you should be ashamed of yourselves."_ With that, he stormed away from the table and walked out of the cafeteria, food tray still in hand.

A few minutes later, Jiang Chen noticed Xiao Xi's coin purse laying on the floor behind the chair Lu Yang had stolen. He quietly picked it up and excused himself, not staying behind to hear any of Qiao Lu's and Li Wei's protests if any were made. Xiao Xi was a cryer who often hated public displays of blubbery emotion, so he knew she wouldn't step foot inside a classroom or bathroom to wail her eyes out. Most likely, she was hiding under a bench or behind a tree where nobody could locate her. (Except for him because no matter where she hid, he always managed to find her.) '

But for the first time in his life, someone else had saved the day before he could, and for whatever reason, seeing Lu Yang offering Xiao Xi a broken piece of his roll didn't sit well with him. Neither did watching Lu Yang give her his handkerchief… nor a smile to cheer her up. He didn't like any of those things. None whatsoever, and instead of marching over to her and apologizing for being an idiot (shocker), he clenched her purse inside the palm of his hand tightly and stormed off, not wanting to witness them together any longer.

* * *

 **CHEN XIAO XI**

Chen Xiao Xi waited and waited for Jiang Chen to go after her and apologize, but he didn't come. She knew class would be starting soon, but at this point, she didn't care. She just wanted to go home and cry away her embarrassment. And then eat cake. Lots and lots of cake.

" _Those people are jerks; I'm sorry they treated you that way."_

Startled, Xiao Xi wiped her weepy eyes and looked up, slightly disappointed and upset that it wasn't Jiang Chen standing in front of her right now. Lu Yang, if she remembered his name correctly, walked over to her and sat down on the grassy hill next to her. _"It's not much, but I thought you might be hungry."_ He picked up a roll and ripped it in half. _"Here. Take it. Because of my recent visit to the hospital, I really shouldn't be eating all of this food anyway, so it would take a huge load off of my back if I didn't waste it. What do you say?"_

Xiao Xi didn't even hesitate before taking the roll from his hand. She munched on it as if she hadn't eaten her entire life and then mumbled a thank you before swallowing. He laughed a little and glanced at the ground as he tore a piece of grass from its root. He then dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a white handkerchief. _"Don't worry, it's clean. Use it to blow your nose and dry your eyes."_

She nodded and took the cloth from his palm and dabbed her eyes with it; then she loudly blew her nose. She blushed a little and wadded the cloth up before offering it back to him.

He immediately moved back. _"No way! Keep it. I've got plenty others at home."_

Xiao Xi smiled a little and then nodded before shoving the handkerchief down into her purse. _"Thank you."_

Lu Yang grinned and patted her head gently. _"No problem, and if those jerks give you a hard time again, try not to let them get under your skin. I know from experience that hiding behind a shadow doesn't work very well. Standing up to them, even if its scary, is far more rewarding than letting them win."_

Xiao Xi sniffled and bowed her head as more tears fell down her cheeks. She bit her bottom lip and then wailed, _"One of them is one of my closest friends! I don't know why he was acting like that. I thought he would stand up for me like he always did. I thought he would help me when I fell, like he used to, but, but, but,"_ her blubbery cries returned, and no more coherent thought could be translated through her messy tears.

Lu Yang sighed and dug into his pocket again before handing her another clean handkerchief. _"Here. This one's a clean one as well. I have tons of them in my pockets; I don't like reusing handkerchiefs throughout the day before washing them first."_

" _You're so weird."_ She sniffed a few times and calmed herself down enough to blow her nose again and dry her eyes.

Lu Yang let out a hearty laugh and nodded. _"I know, I know. I embrace it, but you're not exactly normal either. I've never met someone who cries so much."_

Chen Xiao Xi quietly giggled. _"True. Jiang Chen tells me I'm really sensitive to things."_ Her smile suddenly fell, and she immediately cried out Jiang Chen's name before burying her face into the used handkerchief in her hands. Lu Yang lightly tapped her shoulder to console her but made her cry even harder.

" _I take it you like this Jiang Chen person?"_

She nodded slowly but continued crying. After a few minutes passed, her wails slowed, and she hiccupped again as she dried her face and blew her nose with a new handkerchief provided by her new friend. _"But he doesn't like me…"_

Xiao Xi waited for Lu Yang to give her some hope, but he surprised her by jumping up to his feet and extending a hand. _"It's almost class time again. We should probably head back if we don't want to get any tardies on our first day."_

Xiao Xi gave Lu Yang an incredulous look. " _I already have my first tardy today."_

Lu Yang swallowed thickly and tugged on his collar, really hoping she wasn't going to cry again. _"Oh."_ He suddenly grabbed her hand and tugged her along as he raced towards the school building. " _Then you better not get another one!"_

But despite her best efforts, she was destined to be a failure that day. Instructor Bi Zhao Sha had already marked her name as tardy for class because he failed to mention that students who lose their seats in the morning, will also receive a tardy in the afternoon for not being seated when the bell rings.

Unlike before, she didn't even acknowledge Jiang Chen when the teacher called him to write an answer on the board, nor when he was asked to hand out papers. She ignored him almost the rest of the school period (which was a major feat on its own), but when everyone was packing their belongings up to go home, she chanced a glance over in his direction and noticed how close that girl, Li Wei, was standing to him.

She was excessively batting her eyelashes and had the nerve to poke him lightly in the arm as Qiao Lu linked arms with her. Xiao Xi overheard the wicked enchantress inviting him to go to the bookstore with her, and the moment he turned to look towards Xiao Xi, she swiftly flicked her eyes down at her shoe. After a second or two, she glanced back, and he was giving Li Wei, accepting her invitation. Without so much as an acknowledgement, he left the classroom with the two girls.

Xiao Xi turned away from the door and slowly gathered the rest of her belongings before dragging her feet to Instructor Bo Zhao Sha's office, where she experienced the worst detention of her life.

* * *

 **JIANG CHEN**

Still bothered by the fact that he wasn't the one who had helped Xiao Xi, Jiang Chen decided it would be best to stay away from the girl for a while to clear his head. He shouldn't be mad or angry or upset that someone was helping a mutual friend, but he was. Since Xiao Xi had detention, he didn't see a reason why he couldn't go to the bookstore with Li Wei and Qiao Lu, but if he had been wise back then, then he would have chosen to wait for his childhood friend instead of upsetting her even more.

He spent maybe an hour or two at the bookstore, long after Li Wei and Qiao Lu left, but just as he was about to purchase his items, he spotted Xiao Xi slowly walking towards the store. For whatever reason, he swiftly turned the corner of the store interior and hid from Xiao Xi's sight, not wanting her to see him.

From behind a stack of books, he watched her effortlessly locate that Japanese manga book she was excited about and immediately take it to the cashier. After it was rung up, Xiao Xi dug her hand into her purse in search of something. Jiang Chen's hand covered his pocket, feeling the little change purse bulking out. Just as she grew frantic, Jiang Chen was about to give her coin purse back to her, but she startled him when she dumped everything out of her purse, revealing three used handkerchiefs, lip balm, her phone and iPod.

Jiang Chen's eyes landed on one item and nearly knocked over a stack of books from sheer embarrassment for her. When she didn't find what she was looking for, piece by piece, she dropped her things back into her purse but blushed deeply when she spotted the small tampon rolling back and forth next to her knee. Quickly, she grabbed it and stuffed it in her purse as well.

" _Um… I can't find my money… Can you hold it up here for me? I'll try to be back within an hour."_

The cashier, annoyed, nodded and wrote down Xiao Xi's information before she dashed out of the bookstore in frantic search of her coin purse. Without wasting another minute, Jiang Chen walked to the cashier and placed his books on the counter. _"How much is that book?"_

" _This one?"_ The cashier pointed to the comic book.

" _Yes. How much is it? The girl who was trying to buy it is my friend, and I want to help her out a little bit."_ Jiang Chen replied honestly, and the cashier smiled.

" _It's about 67 Yuan (approx. $10.00)."_

Jiang Chen nodded and said, _"Please add it to my books as well."_

As soon as his purchases were made, he flew out the door in a jiffy and ran in search of Xiao Xi. Luckly, she wasn't too far, and by the time he caught up with her, she was too frantic to notice. He immediately dug into his pocket and pulled out her change purse before presenting it to her. Her eyes widened with sudden happiness.

" _Where did you find this?!"_ It was as if her anger towards him had disappeared with how happy she was.

" _In the cafeteria. I tried to give it back earlier, but you were busy talking with Lu Yang under that tree. I didn't want to interrupt."_ He answered quietly, offering her an small, earnest grin.

" _Lu Yang cheered me up,"_ she replied with a beaming smile, _"he's a good guy."_

He then chose that time to unveil the book she had wanted, curious to how she would react. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately grabbed it off his hands. _"Thank you so much! How did you know which one I wanted?!"_

He chuckled lightly. _"Well since I had your coin purse, I knew you couldn't buy it for yourself, so I just looked around for the latest book of that series," he somewhat lied, "and bought it as a peace offering."_

Her wide eyes stared at him. _"Peace offering?"_

" _An apology, actually,"_ Jiang Chen admitted softly. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began walking with her towards wherever they were going. _"Lu Yang was right, I was a jerk earlier. I should have helped you when Qiao Lu wasn't being nice, but I didn't. I should have told her off and offered to sit anywhere else with you since I promised you we'd sit together today, but I didn't. And I'm sorry. Even though we have seats on different sides of the classroom, I'll try to be better at voicing my opinion when I see something is wrong. I'll let Li Wei and Qiao Lu know that I won't sit with them anymore if they're not going to be nice to you. You've been my friend longer; I shouldn't have treated you as if you weren't. So… will you forgive me?"_

Xiao Xi didn't even have to think about it. She nodded with a big smile on her face, the happiest he had seen her all day. _"Thank you for saying that."_ She spun around and began walking backwards. _"You always have a way to cheer me up. It's one of the many, many things I like about you, Jiang Chen."_

Jiang Chen gave her a small smile as he reached out to tug her away from a pothole in the sidewalk. Then, out of mere curiosity, he found himself asking, _"What are the other things you like about me?"_

And instead of listing all of the randomness she liked about him, she crept closer to him and gestured for him to bend down. When his ear was at her face level, she leaned in slowly and quietly whispered, "It's a secret," before running off. And like a moth to a flame, he chased after her, unaware of just how much chasing he would do to keep Xiao Xi in his life.

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

 **Thank you for reading! I didn't think this chapter would be so long, but here we are! I hope it didn't seem boring or rushed for you, but I'm quite proud of it! See you next time! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**WriterFreak001:**

Sorry for the delay! XD

 **Note:** Dialogue is in Italics to indicate the Chinese spoken language.

 **Note #2: Because this school year has an extensive plot line, I'll be writing it into two or three separate chapters to split it up so that it's not as lengthy to read in one sitting.**

* * *

 **I Like You**

 *** Part Three (1): Eighth Year – Junior Secondary School (8** **th** **Grade) ***

 **致我** **们单纯** **的小美好**

* * *

 **QIAO LU**

" _Don't you just hate it when he runs off like that? It seems like every time Xiao Xi walks by, he has to cut things short in order to talk to her about something or ride home with her… I swear, she's controlling him._ "

" _Don't be mean, Qiao Lu,"_ Li Wei whispered harshly as her friend rolled her eyes dramatically. _"They live next to each other so it's a no-brainer that they'd go the same direction. It's not something Xiao Xi can help if Jiang Chen decides to leave the same time she does."_

" _True,"_ Qiao Lu nodded but crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips together before adding, _"But what about when she chases after him as he leaves? She's like a puppy following her master wherever he goes. She even sticks around the school grounds while he's in the student council meeting. Don't you find that a bit… weird?"_

Li Wei shook her head slowly. _"They're friends, and it's nice having company when going home… You can't blame her for not wanting to go home by herself. I don't even really like that."_

Qiao Lu could tell Li Wei was wavering in her response and smirked. _"Even if you try to justify it, I can tell you're not a big fan of Xiao Xi either."_

" _She does… seem to impose herself a lot…,"_ Li Wei softly replied and then frowned. _"Why do you look like you're about to execute one of your master plans?"_

Qiao Lu shrugged innocently as she lightly placed her textbooks on the table in front of her before sitting down. Li Wei sat down across from her and both leaned forward so they wouldn't have to speak above a whisper.

" _I think it's time to put Xiao Xi in her place once and for all. And I know just how to do it."_ Qiao Lu muttered with a glint in her eye. " _First, we need to figure out a way to separate Jiang Chen and Xiao Xi… somehow make it impossible for them to go home together. Then, we'll scare her… basically frighten her so much, that she would never want to leave her house again…, and then, when she least expects it, we'll humiliate her in front of the whole class. After everything, I'm certain Jiang Chen would rather avoid her than spend time with her; after all, who would want to hang out with a loser?"_

" _Those things seem kinda harsh… is there a less-invasive way of keeping Jiang Chen and Xiao Xi separated?"_ Li Wei bit her lip, unsure about her best friend's plan. _"What if we're caught? Bullying to that extreme is borderline harassment, Qiao Lu. Why would you want to do all those things to Xiao Xi? She seems mostly harmless."_

Qiao Lu didn't answer right away, wanting to think a little bit on her response. Eventually, she said, _"Because I don't like her."_ She then grinned a little. _"So, are you in?"_

" _Will she get physically hurt?"_

Qiao Lu shook her head. "No."

Li Wei grinned slowly. _"Then yes, I'm in."_

* * *

 **XIAO XI**

" _You're going to have to go home alone for the next few weeks,"_ Jiang Chen said suddenly on their way to lunch, his words tugging on Xiao Xi's heart.

" _Oh."_ Xiao Xi frowned as she dropped her bag on top of the cafeteria table, _"Are you attending any meetings after school?"_

" _Sort of,"_ Jiang Chen replied with a nod. _"I've been asked by the professor to tutor Li Wei and Qiao Lu for the upcoming exam. Tutoring could go late so it's probably better if you go ahead and head back to the apartment complex without me."_

Xiao Xi nodded slowly. _"Okay. If the teacher instructed it, then there's nothing to do about it. Thanks for letting me know, but after school, I'm hanging out with Lu Yang at the computer café so I'm going straight there."_ She paused for a moment. _"You better apologize to Lu Yang about not being able to make it today… he was really hoping you'd come so that he could show you his progress in the newest café game."_

Jiang Chen pressed his lips together and nodded in response.

As if on cue, Lu Yang walked up to them and grinned as he wrapped both his arms around their shoulders. _"Excited for this afternoon's plans?"_ Xiao Xi and Jiang Chen shared a knowing glance which didn't go unnoticed by Lu Yang. He frowned. _"What did I miss?"_

* * *

 **JIANG CHEN**

Convincing Xiao Xi to go home after school instead of waiting for him was actually easier than he thought; usually, she waited for him if he had to stay behind for a little while, but since it could be dark by the time he finished tutoring, he felt more at ease, knowing Xiao Xi wouldn't be walking home alone in the dark.

" _Thank you for tutoring us on short notice_ ," Li Wei smiled sweetly as she sat down across from him at a library table. _"I hope you didn't have to give up anything to help us."_

Jiang Chen forced a small grin, and all he said was, _"It's no problem. Xiao Xi and Lu Yang understood so we rescheduled for Wednesday since Li Wei has cram school that afternoon. Knowing them, however, they'll probably still meet up after school anyway without me, but it can't be helped."_

" _Oh? And where would that be?" Qiao Lu asked innocently as she smoothed down her skirt while sitting down next to Li Wei._

" _The Internet Café," Jiang Chen replied swiftly, thinking nothing of it. "Now let's get started… the professor shared with me your recent grades on the last test. Li Wei,"_ he nodded towards the poised, quiet girl in front of him, _"You did a pretty good job; you mixed up some of your formulas on the last page, but that won't be hard to adjust."_ He turned to Qiao Lu, " _You on the other hand need some extra work; you missed about thirty percent of the questions without working through any of the problems. But if you pay attention while I'm tutoring you and Li Wei, I can guarantee you'll score better on the next exam."_

Qiao Lu flashed a forced smile as Li Wei nodded, smiling gently. "Let's get started, then." Li Wei replied softly, carefully opening her mathematics textbook.

* * *

 **LU YANG**

" _I know we agreed to meet up Wednesday at the Internet Café, but I really don't want to wait that long to continue my game,"_ Lu Yang bounced up and down, giving Xiao Xi his best pouty face. _"Do you think Jang Chen would be upset if we decide to go there today, anyway?"_

Xiao Xi shook her head and smiled. _"Jiang Chen doesn't get mad or upset over petty things. I'm sure he won't mind. Besides, he'll be at the school a lot later than usual for the next several weeks, and if something happens Wednesday that makes it so that we can't meet for some reason, then it'll be a lot harder to find another good day to go over there. That being said, we can't wait for Jiang Chen forever, and he understands that… I think."_

" _All right!"_ Lu Yang exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. _"I'll make a deal. Let's play a battle game in the café and duke it out on the screen. We can wait until Wednesday to continue our avatar games when or if Jiang Chen is present. I just want to play games."_

Xiao Xi smiled widely. _"Me too!"_

And without further ado, the two best friends made their way to the Internet Café, arguing all the way there about who was going to win their virtual battle royale.

* * *

 **QIAO LU**

After a long two hours of boring tutoring, Jiang Chen finally finished things up for the day and excused himself from their meeting, saying he needed to get home to study even more. Such a boring person. Qiao Lu would never understand Li Wei's affection for the taller student.

" _Thank goodness that's over!"_ Qiao Lu stretched, raising her arms and bending her back slightly backwards. _"I thought he would never stop!"_

" _You suggested for him to tutor us in order to separate him and Xiao Xi, Qiao Lu. You're not in a position to complain."_ The petite girl replied quietly as she closed her book and rose to her feet. _"Now that we've kept them from going home together, what's next? And when?"_

" _Our next plan of action won't happen until Wednesday; we don't want to work too quickly, otherwise, we'll be caught."_ Qiao Lu responded in a hushed whisper as she gathered her things. She waited for Li Wei to grab her back pack before continuing. They descended down the library steps and headed for the main campus floor before exiting the building.

It was dark now… Qiao Lu looked at her watch and noted the time. 5:15 p.m. Next time, their session needed to be longer. As she and Li Wei began walking home (they don't live too far from each other), she then said, _"On Wednesday, skip Cram School."_

" _What?! I can't do that! You know how my mother is!"_ Li Wei gasped, as if Qiao Lu had said something incredibly offensive.

" _Do you want Jiang Chen and Xiao Xi to get closer?"_

Li Wei frowned and dropped her shoulders. _"No…"_

" _Then do exactly as I say…; I'll handle the rest."_ Qiao Lu smiled slyly, excited for what she had planned next for Xiao Xi. _'Soon, that annoying girl's not going to know what hit her.'_

* * *

 **WENDESDAY – AFTER SCHOOL**

 **LI WEI**

Qiao Lu might be her best friend, but sometimes, even Li Wei thought she was borderline obnoxious at times. Xiao Xi was nice, and no matter what Qiao Lu did to make her life miserable during school, Xiao Xi never fought back and just smiled. Deep down, Li Wei knew Xiao Xi was emotionally hurt for the things Qiao Lu does sometimes, but she never said anything or stood up for the poor girl.

Partly because she was also jealous of Xiao Xi.

Xiao Xi didn't even have to try to do anything in order for Jiang Chen to pay attention to her. Granted, they've known each other their whole lives, but Li Wei was so much prettier than her! What did Xiao Xi have that she didn't? Why did it seem like every time she wanted Jiang Chen's attention, she had to pull several teeth to get it? Was she invisible? Did he not like her like she liked him?

Seeing Xiao Xi and Jiang Chen together, even as just friends, made her blood boil sometimes. She would never let her anger show, though, because she wouldn't want Jiang Chen to think she was desperate and overly jealous. She was better than that, wasn't she?

Wasn't she?

" _Now remember the plan,"_ Qiao Lu muttered close to her ear as she rose to her feet. _"If you want this to work, then don't mess up."_

Qiao Lu backed away from her as she spotted Jiang Chen down the hallway. Surprisingly Xiao Xi wasn't with him. As he approached her, she smiled softly and waved. _"Hi Jiang Chen."_

He slowed his paces and nodded in response but his eyes were not looking towards her. Li Wei slowly turned around and spotted Xiao Xi in the distance, smiling and talking with Lu Yang. She then brought her attention back to Jiang Chen, and his little smile did not go unnoticed. Gaining courage, she cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her. _"I worked on the problems you assigned last night… Before I head off to Cram School, do you mind looking at my work first? I want to be sure I'm clearly understanding the formulas."_

Jiang Chen seemed like he was in a hurry, but he nodded swiftly. Slowly, she handed him her work notes, and he carefully examined them. After a minute or two, he handed them back to her. _"The last one needs some work, but other than that, good job. The other problems are correct. We'll go over the last one tomorrow during our next session."_

Before she could respond, he circled around her and headed towards Xiao Xi and Lu Yang. The pair was still in deep conversation so they didn't even notice him approaching, so without thinking, she rushed off after him, but before she could call out his name, her foot caught on to something and she fumbled forward, her books flying everywhere as she yelped in pain from the burning sensations on her knee and elbow. Jiang Chen, Xiao Xi and Lu Yang immediately stopped what they were doing and glanced at her. She then saw Qiao Lu smirking, glad her plan had worked. The two friends made eye contact, and Li Wei grimaced; it was as if Qiao Lu's eyes were saying, _"Remember what we talked about. Take one for the team."_

To her surprise, Qiao Lu switched gears and immediately ran up to her, panicking. _"Li Wei! Are you all right?! What happened?!"_

She winced as she tried to move. _"I tripped,"_ was all she said as Xiao Xi and Jiang Chen ran up to her simultaneously, both asking if she was okay. Lu Yang hollered about getting the school doctor and ran off.

Qiao Lu suddenly gave Xiao Xi a dirty look. _"How dare you come here, asking if Li Wei is all right when you're the reason she tripped in the first place!"_

" _What're you talking about? I didn't do anything!"_ Xiao Xi exclaimed, defending herself.

" _Don't lie!"_ Qiao Lu stabbed an accusatory finger towards Xiao XI. " _I saw you during our last period of the day offer to tie Li Wei's shoes for her when she was carrying all of those textbooks for the professor. You are a horrible person, you know?! I can't believe how awful you can be for tying poor Li Wei's shoes together when she's been nothing but nice to you!"_

" _I would nev—"_

" _Did you or did you not tie Li Wei's shoes earlier today?!"_ Qiao Lu exclaimed loudly as other students walked by.

" _I did, but—"_

" _You should be ashamed of yourself, Xiao Xi."_ Qiao Lu spat with anger. _"Never come near us again!"_

Xiao Xi seemed at a loss for words as if she was unsure how to combat Qiao Lu's accusations. She and Jiang Chen exchanged a look before she bit her lip and backed away slowly.

It was then that Jiang Chen spoke up. _"I don't know how Li Wei's shoes ended up being tied together, but it's impossible for Xiao Xi to have done that."_

All three girls glanced at him, but he only looked at the ground.

" _Firstly, if Xiao Xi had tied Li Wei's shoes together, then why is it only now that Li Wei has tripped? She would have tripped immediately after Xiao Xi's offer to tie her shoes. Secondly, Xiao Xi wouldn't know how to tie two shoes together to save her life; she tried it once as a joke on my younger brother when we were ten, but he fell down the stairs afterwards, and she was scolded very harshly for it even though the worst injury he got was a wrist sprain. After that, she vowed to never tie anyone's shoes together ever again. I doubt she would go back on that promise for a petty prank."_

Qiao Lu was speechless, and Li Wei looked away, ashamed to have agreed to let Qiao Lu tie her shoes together. Jiang Chen was a lot smarter than Xiao Xi and Qiao Lu combined; she should have known he would have seen through their charade. But before anything more could escalate, the school doctor and Lu Yang rushed towards them.

Jiang Chen was instructed to help the doctor carry Li Wei to the office clinic, and Qiao Lu followed. Xiao Xi and Lu Yang, however, did not.

* * *

 **JIANG CHEN**

Something seemed off from the way Li Wei fell, and if he was being honest, it seemed as though Li Wei fell on purpose… perhaps tied her own shoes…, but why would she do that? He had never known her to be attention-seeking, so why would she fall on purpose? To pin something against Xiao Xi? Then again, the accusations against Xiao Xi wasn't from Li Wei but Qiao Lu, and he knew she never liked his neighbor since the first day of Junior Secondary School. In fact, he noticed the way Qiao Lu picked on Xiao Xi when she didn't think he was around, so perhaps this incident was another way to pick on her, but why would Qiao Lu get Li Wei involved? Usually, Li Wei was against Qiao Lu's mean girl act and was usually talking her down from being too much of a bully, so why now?

" _Is Li Wei going to be all right?"_ Qiao Lu asked, her eyes filled with almost believable tears. _"She didn't break a bone, did she?"_

The school doctor, Su Dong-dàifu, finished dressing Li Wei's knee and said, " _The wounds on her arm and knee are superficial and won't scar. However, does it hurt to move your left ankle?"_

Li Wei nodded, wincing as S Su Dong-dàifu slowly tried to rotate her ankle.

" _Can you walk on it?"_

Li Wei hesitated for a moment but then gently slipped off of the patient's bed. She tried standing up, but the moment she put pressure on her ankle, she yelped and immediately sat back down.

" _I think it's safe to say you're going to need X-Rays at the main hospital."_ Su Dong-dàifu said as he scribbled something on his notepad. _"I'll notify your parents and let them know they'll need to take you there promptly. In the meantime,"_ he walked over to his freezer and grabbed a cooling pad. _"I want you to hold this pad to your ankle until your parents arrive. If they don't come in twenty minutes, I'll call for an ambulance and explain the situation to your parents accordingly. Okay?"_

Li Wei nodded slowly.

" _Now I will need to go to the main office to call your parents so please stay here where it'll be comfortable. Your friends are welcome to stay until your parents show up."_ Su Dong-dàifu grinned a little before walking out of the office.

" _Since you're in good hands…,"_ Jiang Chen started to say but was immediately cut off by Qiao Lu.

" _Oh my! Your Cram School class, Li Wei!"_ Qiao Lu scrambled to grab her things. _"I'll immediately go to your cram school and let them know if the situation."_

And then she was gone.

Jiang Chen sighed and knew he would look like a jerk if he left Li Wei alone now.

" _I'm sorry for holding you… I know you have plans with Lu Yang and Xiao Xi…"_ Li Wei muttered quietly, looking guilty.

Jiang Chen took a seat on the chair next to the patient's bed. _"They'll understand."_ He whipped out his phone and sent a text to Xiao Xi, explaining everything. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed so he checked her reply.

' _ **We figured you wouldn't be able to come right away so we're already here.  
We'll wait for an hour, but if you can't make it, then you owe both of us ice cream to make up for it. ~.O' **_

He chuckled quietly and rolled his eyes, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

" _Jiang Chen?"_

He turned towards Li Wei. _"Hm?"_

" _Do you like Xiao Xi?"_

Jiang Chen thought for a moment, wondering if he should answer honestly but finally shook his head, fighting the grin he wanted to show. _"We're just friends."_

" _But you hang out with her so much… I assumed you both like each other."_ Li Wei replied quietly.

She wasn't wrong, but she didn't need to know she was right either.

" _We hang out because we're friends. We live in the same apartment complex and go to the same school. That's all."_ He made it perfectly clear he didn't want to talk about it any further, so Li Wei didn't bring it up.

After twenty minutes passed, her parents never showed. Su Dong-dàifu came back in and said that Li Wei's mother would just meet them at the hospital, so he arranged for an ambulance to take her. When the paramedics arrived, Li Wei asked Jiang Chen if he could accompany her to the hospital. With little hesitance, he quietly nodded and hopped into the front of the truck before sending Xiao Xi another text, letting her know he was probably going to have to owe her ice cream.

He had a feeling he was going to be at the hospital for hours.

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

 **I will have the second part to this section of the story out within the week. I've already started on it. :) Please let me know what you think so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**WriterFreak001:**

Sorry for the delay! XD

 **Note:** Dialogue is in Italics to indicate the Chinese spoken language.

 **Note #2: Because this school year has an extensive plot line, I'll be writing it into two or three separate chapters to split it up so that it's not as lengthy to read in one sitting.**

 **TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains a small segment at the end of physical / non-sexual abuse.**

* * *

 **I Like You**

 *** Part Three (2): Eighth Year – Junior Secondary School (8** **th** **Grade) ***

 **致我** **们单纯** **的小美好**

* * *

 **QIAO LU**

So far, her plan was working wonderfully. She never did go to Li Wei's Cram School; they had already let the proctor know about Li Wei's planned absence the day prior. Instead, she worked on setting up the next part of her plan. She convinced Li Wei's mother not to meet Li Wei at the school but to show up about an hour later at the hospital to check on her daughter. Li Wei's mother easily agreed, having things to do anyway and said she would go to the hospital after dinner once she's finished with her paperwork. The hospital was at least thirty minutes from Li Wei's house, and if rush hour traffic was accounted for, then it could take Li Wei's mother about an hour to arrive from when she would leave.

Then, she called her brother, who was a doctor at the very hospital, to be the attending doctor to Li Wei. When he questioned her, she simply said she didn't trust anyone else and explained that Li Wei's mother wouldn't be there until late so it would be best to stall any X-Rays until after her mother arrives for parental consent. Her brother agreed and said he would look after Li Wei, seeing as he heard a dispatch saying she was on her way there.

The last part of her plan was coming together smoothly. All she needed was for Lu Yang to leave that stupid café so that Xiao Xi would end up going home alone. Her cousin, Qiao Heng, who was two years older, peaked around the corner.

" _So that's her, huh?"_

" _Yes,"_ Qiao Lu nodded with a smirk. _"Did you dispose of her bike like I asked you to?"_

Qiao Heng chuckled. _"By now, it's at the bottom of the river downtown."_

" _Good,"_ Qiao Lu curved her pink lips to a twisted smile. _"Now remember, the plan is to scare her, not to hurt her. If you hurt her, you could get in trouble, and if you get in trouble, I could get in trouble. So, don't hurt her. Just scare her."_

" _And how would you like me to do that?"_

Qiao Lu shrugged. " _Follow her, hide in the shadows and make strange noises. Then, when she least expects it, wear this,"_ Qiao Lu shoved a wolf mask into her cousin's gut, _"and confront her. Just don't physically harm her, okay?"_

Qiao Heng nodded with a glint in his eye. _"Seems easy enough."_

She grinned. She couldn't wait to see how Xiao Xi reacts.

* * *

 **XIAO XI**

" _Too bad Jiang Chen couldn't come. I was really hoping to show him my latest avatar project,"_ Lu Yang sighed as he turned off his computer. _"Anyway, I've gotta leave. My parents don't like me being out this late."_

" _What time is it?"_ Xiao Xi asked as she shut her computer down too. She yawned and stretched.

" _Almost nine."_

" _Nine!?"_ Xiao Xi exclaimed and scrambled to gather her things. _"I was supposed to be home at seven!"_

" _I live down the street a little ways… Do you want my parents to give you a ride? You live about fifteen minutes away by bike, don't you?"_ Lu Yang stretched as well and then picked up his backpack. _"I can't believe I missed dinner!"_

" _Thank you for the offer, but I can manage on my own. It may seem far, but it really isn't."_ Xiao Xi flashed a smile and then waved to the nice café worker. _"See you tomorrow!"_

" _Let's go."_ Lu Yang said, gently grabbing Xiao Xi's arm and pulling her outside the café. _"Looks like it's going to rain soon. Are you sure you'll be all right?"_

" _Yes,"_ Xiao Xi laughed, grinning. _"I'll be fine."_ But then she blanched. _"Where is my bike?!"_

" _Where did you put it?"_ Lu Yang frowned as she gestured exactly where she was pointing. _"Did you lock it?"_

Xiao Xi nodded, distressed. _"I saved my money for that bike! How could someone steal something that was locked?!"_

" _Desperate situations call for desperate measures, I guess."_ Lu Yang shrugged and then said, _"Since your bike is missing, we'll go to my place, okay? My dad will give you a ride. Promise."_

Xiao Xi shook her head. _"No. My father told me once that if I lose my bike, then I would have to walk home as punishment, no matter when and where I was… so… that's what I have to do."_

" _Surely your father was kidding,"_ Lu Yang cocked a brow. _"Or he didn't' think you'd actually take him literally."_

" _My father is a very literal person,"_ Xiao Xi sighed. _"Goodnight, Lu Yang. I'll see you in the morning."_ And before Lu Yang could say anything, she was already off, heading the opposite direction, oblivious of the one following her from the shadows.

* * *

 **JIANG CHEN**

 **(A FEW HOURS AFTER THEIR ARRIVAL TO THE HOSPITAL)**

" _Thank you for keeping my daughter company until I could arrive. I apologize for being so late, but since I was told it was nothing but a minor injury, I decided to finish up some work first. Didn't think it would take so long. I'll take care of things from here,"_ Li Wei's mother bowed, and Jiang Chen's classmate looked horribly embarrassed for the way her mother was acting.

" _It wasn't a problem,"_ was all he said before he headed for the door before turning towards Li Wei. _"Now that your mother is here, I will be going first. If your absent from school tomorrow, I'll inform the professor properly."_

Li Wei nodded slowly, knowing he couldn't possibly stay any longer, and he left, wishing her mother had arrived sooner. As he descended the elevator to the first level, his phone went off.

It was Lu Yang.

" _Hello?"_

' _Still at the hospital?'_

" _Just leaving,"_ Jiang Chen replied as he stepped off the elevator and made his way towards the main entrance.

' _Li Wei must be dying for you to be over there that long,'_ Lu Yang muttered under his breath, causing Jiang Chen to smirk a little.

" _No. She's not dying. Her mother took forever to arrive at the hospital, and I was stuck keeping her company, so I wouldn't look like a jerk to her for leaving before knowing she was in good hands."_ Jiang Chen walked up to the bus stop and spotted the bus coming around the corner, thankful he wouldn't have to wait long. After boarding the bus and paying his fare, he sat down and said, _'You and Xiao Xi just leaving the café?"_

' _I'm home,'_ Lu Yang said and added in his defense, ' _Since Xiao Xi's bike was stolen,_ _I offered her to come to my place so that my dad could give her a ride home since she lives farther, but she insisted on walking home. Said something about her father telling her to walk home as punishment if ever her bike was stolen. Told her that was stupid, but she ignored me and left on foot, determined to follow her father's orders. Silly, huh?"_

Jiang Chen checked his watch. Almost 9:25. _"How long ago did the two of you part?"_

' _Hm… about half an hour ago… she should be home by now, right?"_

Jiang Chen smacked his head against the glass window. _"Knowing Xiao Xi, she's not even halfway there… She doesn't like the dark, and because she gets scared easily, she walks slowly… I'm surprised she didn't take your offer."_

' _Guess she didn't want to get in trouble with her parents.'_ Lu Yang surmised, but then said _, 'But would her parents really get upset with her for getting a ride when it's dark and cloudy?'_

Jiang Chen sighed, _"Xiao Xi doesn't always think when she's stressed. Don't worry, as soon as I get off the bus, I'll make sure she gets home all right."_

' _Cool. Text me if you need my help.'_ Lu Yang replied before ending his call. But Jiang Chen couldn't wait for the bus to bring him closer to home, and at its next stop, he hopped off and began running, hoping he was worrying for nothing.

That girl was going to be the death of him one of these days.

* * *

 **XIAO XI**

She thought she was going crazy. Before it began to rain, she heard odd noises coming from behind her, and she could have sworn there were the occasional foot falls, but whenever she would turn around, no one would be there.

Xiao Xi had texted her mom, telling her she was on her way home so that her parents wouldn't worry, but she didn't mention about the bike, not wanting them to lock her out of the apartment for her carelessness. (Because in her mind, they would do that). They _have_ done that.

She was nearing the apartment complex, and she constantly reprimanded herself for taking the short-cut through the dark alleys of town, but the less amount of time she had to spend outside at night, the better.

And then her phone rang, causing her to nearly scream. With shaky fingers, she reached for her phone and then fumbled to answer the call, not paying any mind to who was calling her. _"H-Hello?"_

" _Xiao Xi?"_ It was Jiang Chen! _"Xiao Xi, where are you? Lu Yang called and told me you were walking home by yourself."_

Xiao Xi held her phone close to ear and smiled. ' _He was worried about me,'_ she thought, feeling all floaty inside. When he called out her name again, she shook her thoughts away and spoke softly. _"I'm taking the short-cut home… I'm almost to the complex… maybe five or ten minutes out…, but I feel a lot better now that you're on the phone…,"_ she bit her lower lip as he audibly sighed. " _Jiang Chen?"_

There was a pause. _'Hm?'_

Her heart pounded against her chest. _"Don't hang up."_

'… _Okay.'_

 _There was a small, comfortable moment of silence between them as both continued walking from where they were. Eventually, Xiao Xi said, "Are you still at the hospital with Li Wei?"_

' _No. When her mother finally showed up, I left.'_ Jiang Chen replied as Xiao Xi swallowed thickly. She could hear them clearly now, thick footsteps following her, only stopping when she stopped. Cautiously, she turned around slowly, but no one was there. As if on autopilot, she faced forward and started walking faster.

" _Jiang Chen_?"

" _Hm?"_

" _How far did you say you were?"_ The footsteps began again, and her heart began punching against her but it wasn't because of the boy next door.

" _I didn't. I'm about ten minutes from shortcut you were talking about. Why? Is something wrong?"_

She blew out a shaky breath, deciding not to tell him. After all, even if she did, what could he do about it? Maybe she was just being paranoid; maybe the streets at night had always been creepy – that she didn't notice anything until now because she was either always on her bike or with Jiang Chen. And besides, Jiang Chen already had a lot going on; she didn't need to bother him with something that could be nothing.

She shook her head in a delayed response. " _No. Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to know if you were nearby."_

" _I can be if you want me to be,"_ Jiang Chen responded instantly, causing her to blush a little. _"What I mean is, I can catch up if you need me to."_

She smiled gently as she slowed down her walking, touched by his concern. _"If I keep walking, I think I'll be all right. I see the complex so I'm not too far."_ She lightly bit her lip. _"But I'll wait for you outside the complex if you want."_

There was a short pause, and Xiao Xi could hear Jiang Chen slow breaths over the phone. _"No. It's okay. Your parents are probably worried about you so don't let them wait any longer."_

" _Ah. Right."_ Xiao Xi agreed, remembering the last time she came home very late from the internet café. Her parents had called the police an hour after she was supposed to be home. It was a crazy, hot mess; something Xiao Xi really didn't want to happen again… Somehow, she had a feeling her punishment for being late was going to be extreme…. _"Good night, then."_

Another pause.

" _Good night."_

Xiao Xi locked her phone and slipped it into her pocket as she approached the complex. The recent conversation with Jiang Chen energized her, and the next thing she knew, she was skipping down the street, a little too gleefully.

But her joy was short-lived when suddenly, something gripped her hair and yanked down hard, forcing her backward. The back of her head smacked against the dirty asphalt, causing thick black spots to float around her as the air left her lungs. She gasped for a breath, _any_ breath, as a large fist smashed squarely into her face.

Tears fell as her face stung with pain. Her breath began to slowly return to her until she felt a sharp kick to her ribs.

" _My younger sis told me not to hurt you, just to scare you, but I couldn't resist. It's a turn on seeing a young damsel in distress._ " A haunting voice spoke, followed by an unnerving chuckle. _"Now… what should I do next?"_

Xiao Xi wanted the ground to swallow her whole as the shadowy-looking force moved closer to her. With as much strength as she could muster, she kicked at him as she painfully scooted herself away from him.

And then…

"XIAO XI!"

Both Xiao Xi and her assailant turned towards the way she came and saw Jiang Chen standing there, huffing and puffing, his fists balling with anger. As he sprinted towards her, her attacker scrambled away from her, and as he leapt to run away, the front of his boot whacked her in the temple before everything went dark.

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

 **I'm sorry. I had to end it here. I'm going to try to update more frequently so expect the next chapter in the next few weeks or so. Working a full-time job leaves very little time to write fanfic. Please let me know what you think.**

 **I know the ending is somewhat sickening, but rest assure, the next chapter will be good-feely. I promise.**


	5. Chapter 5

**WriterFreak001:**

I know the last chapter was tough to get through towards the end, and that's probably why there weren't many reviews, but I promise this chapter will be a lot better. :)

 **Note:** Dialogue is in Italics to indicate the Chinese spoken language.

 **I also apologize for not finishing this chapter sooner. Life has been crazy.**

 **** TRIGGER WARNING:** sensitive discussions in this chapter about rape, and for the record and as a refresher, Xiao Xi was _not_ raped in the previous chapter. **

* * *

 **I Like You**

 *** Part Three (3): Eighth Year – Junior Secondary School (8** **th** **Grade) ***

 **致我** **们单纯** **的小美好**

* * *

 **Li Wei**

* * *

" _Just a minute Mama,"_ Li Wei said the instant she saw Jiang Chen sitting in a waiting chair, looking horribly defeated. Another couple Li Wei didn't recognize was sitting beside him, with nothing but worry plastered to their faces. Cautiously, Li Wei walked over to Jiang Chen and took seat next to him. _"I thought you left an hour ago."_

Jiang Chen didn't stir.

" _Jiang Chen?"_

The tall boy eventually glanced in Li Wei's direction and quietly answered, _"I came back."_

" _Oh?"_ She sounded a little too hopeful, and Jiang Chen seemed to have noticed.

" _Xiao Xi's in surgery,"_ he replied lowly.

Li Wei's eyes grew wide. _"Is she all right?"_

Jiang Chen exchanged a knowing glance with the couple next to him and slowly stood up, pushing himself away from the seat. _"Let's talk over here."_ As Li Wei followed Jiang Chen, her mother signaled her to hurry up, but she ignored it. When they were a comfortable ten meters away from the couple, he spoke. _"She was attacked on her way home from the Internet Café."_

Li Wei audibly gasped. _"A-Attacked? You m-mean, she was r—"_

Jiang Chen shook his head swiftly. _"It didn't get that far… but if I didn't,"_ he inhaled deeply and clenched his fists tightly, _"If I didn't get there in time, then it could have…"_

" _Will she be all right?"_

Jiang Chen shrugged. _"The doctor is hopeful, but when her ribs were cracked, a fragment of bone pierced her lung, causing it to collapse. Her nose is broken and will need to be surgically reconstructed, and she has a cracked skull. Luckily, though, the skull fracture was minor and will heal on its own with time."_

" _Oh my."_ Li Wei internally hoped Qiao Lu wasn't involved. _"Is there anything I can do?"_

Jiang Chen shook his head. _"You've had a long day at the hospital already. If I'm not at school tomorrow, then I'm still at the hospital. Xiao Xi's parents will call the school and let them know what's going on in the morning."_

Li Wei nodded. _"Okay. Keep me updated, will you? Xiao Xi is a sweet girl; I'm sorry this happened."_

Jiang Chen nodded slowly before Li Wei dashed off to catch up with her impatient mother. He staggered back to his seat when Xiao Xi's mother gently touched his shoulder. _"Jiang Chen. Thank you for bringing Xiao Xi here and calling us, but you don't have to stay. I can tell you're tired; you should go home and rest up. We'll let you know anything as soon as we know."_

Jiang Chen offered a soft smile. _"Thank you but… I think I'll stay if that's all right with you, Auntie."_

The worried mother nodded with a sweet smile. _"You're a good boy, Jiang Chen._

* * *

 **QIAO LU**

* * *

" _I just got a text from Li Wei that Xiao Xi is in the hospital, fighting a concussion among other severe injuries,_ " Qiao Lu marched up to her brother, frowning. _"I thought I told you not to physically hurt her… just to scare her!_ "

Her brother shrugged casually. _"When I saw how small she was, I couldn't resist. If that bastard didn't show up, I would have gotten away with a whole lot more."_

 _ **SMACK!**_

Qiao Lu's palm burned from the impact, appalled. _"You're a disgusting, sadist pig! I hope you're caught and put behind bars!"_

Her creep of a brother smirked. _"If I'm caught, I'll drag you with me. I'll tell everyone you orchestrated the whole thing."_

Qiao Lu clenched her fists tightly, prepared to slug him again. _"I'll deny it,"_ she spat angrily. _"Like I said, I never wanted you to hurt her the way you did. I just wanted you to scare her… maybe follow her to make her think she was being stalked… keep a distance… but what you did – I can't even talk about it right now._ " She gathered her things and headed for the door, _"tell Mom I'm going to meet with Li Wei."_

A large hand slammed on the door in front of her, keeping her from leaving. She turned around, indignant. _"Move out of my way."_

" _Tell me…,"_ her brother's smirk twisted even more, _"I know what you said and what you told me, but, even for an instant, did you hope I would deflower that stupid girl if I had the chance?"_

" _No way!"_ Qiao Lu exclaimed as she forcefully pushed her brother back. _"I might not like her, but I would never wish for that to happen on anyone!_ " As fast as she could, she wormed her way outside of her house and ran down the street towards Li Wei's home, worried about what might happen.

When she arrived in front of Li Wei's door, she knocked incessantly, hoping her friend was home. The door opened slowly, revealing her petite friend, and without preamble, Qiao Lu squeezed inside, leading Li Wei back to her bedroom. At first, they were both silent but eventually, Li Wei took a seat on the bed next to Qiao Lu and combed her hair behind her ear. " _What happened?"_

" _My plan went sideways,"_ Qiao Lu answered honestly. _"I didn't mean for anything like that to happen to her…"_ When Li Wei gave her a questioning look, Qiao Lu continued. _"The plan was to scare Xiao Xi. Just scare her. But… my brother took it too far. I told him not to hurt her, but he didn't listen. He enjoyed hurting Xiao Xi too much… he,"_ Qiao Lu blanched, feeling sick to her stomach. _"He said he would have r-raped Xiao Xi if he hadn't been interrupted by Jiang Chen."_ Qiao Lu buried her head into her hands. _"I don't know what to do."_

Li Wei composed herself and lightly placed her delicate fingers on top of Qiao Lu's. _"We need to go to the police…. But first….,"_ Li Wei pulled Qiao Lu into a comforting hug, " _we need to tell Xiao Xi's parents. Let them know the full story… Let them know it wasn't your fault that your brother acted on his own volition. And then apologize. I think if you tell Xiao Xi's parents about what happened, they'll overlook your part and focus more on pressing assault charges against your brother."_

Qiao Lu sniffed _. "Will he go to jail?"_

" _Probably… But he won't if you stay silent._ "

Qiao Lu nodded slowly. "Okay. _"_

Li Wei hugged Qiao Lu tighter and smiled. _"We'll go to the hospital in the morning."_

Qiao Lu wiped away the tears in her eyes and smoothed her hands over her clothes. _"Can I sleep here tonight? I don't want to go home."_

" _Of course."_ Li Wei squeezed Qiao Lu's hand gently. _"I'll be with you the whole way."_

* * *

 **JIANG CHEN**

* * *

He had been restlessly waiting for four hours until the senior doctor approached Xiao Xi's parents. Immediately, he walked away from the water fountain and swiftly made his way back. He felt a lot of different emotions in that moment, when the doctor explained the extent to Xiao Xi's injuries. He was mad, angry, worried and anxious. He wanted to find the dirtbag responsible and give him the same injuries inflicted on Xiao Xi. He wanted to punch a wall, any wall… but most of all, he wanted to see Xiao Xi.

" _Thank you, Doctor Wu,"_ Chen Tang Li, Xiao Xi's mother bowed her head with gratitude. _"Thank you."_

Xiao Xi's father, Chen Guo Wei, stepped forward with a knitted brow and quietly spoke. " _May we see her?"_

" _Yes, but only two at a time for now."_ Doctor Wu replied with a nod before gesturing for them to follow him. After two flights in the elevator, three left turns, a right turn and then another left, they finally arrived at the room where Xiao Xi was resting. After Doctor Wu left to tend other patients, Jiang Chen quietly stepped back as Xiao Xi's parents immediately entered the room. He leaned against the door and watched the worried parents surround their daughter, kindly waiting his turn to see her. He knew there was a possible chance that her parents may not leave the room, but he didn't mind waiting.

He would wait for hours if necessary.

After almost two hours, Tang Li left her daughter's side and made her way to the door, finding Jiang Chen sitting on the floor in the corridor and resting his head against the hard wall. His eyes were droopy, but he was determined to stay awake. Tang Li smiled and bent down, taking his hand in hers and gently squeezing it.

" _Jiang Chen,"_ she whispered softly, causing him to jerk upright almost instantly. He turned his attention towards her and shook his head to shake away his sleepiness. Before he could respond, she continued. _"Thank you for everything you've done for Xiao Xi tonight. If you didn't arrive when you did…,"_ she paused briefly, unable to say the words as tears welled up in her eyes, _"Thank you, Jiang Chen. Thank you for protecting our daughter."_

Jiang Chen averted his gaze and frowned. " _If only I arrived sooner, then we wouldn't be here right now."_

" _Jiang Chen,"_ Tang Li squeezed his hand again, causing him to look back up to her. _"Don't blame yourself for something that was out of your hands. Just be grateful for showing up when you did. We don't blame you for what happened; you shouldn't either."_

Jiang Chen slowly nodded as she slipped her hand away from his and rose to her feet. _  
"Chen and I are going to go down to the cafeteria for some coffee. Do you want anything?"_

He shook his head and stood up slowly. _"Do you mind if I stay with Xiao Xi for a while?"_

" _Not at all,"_ Tang Li smiled softly with a small nod before turning back towards her husband, gesturing him to get up. Guo Wei leaned over Xiao Xi and pressed a light kiss on her forehead before leaving her side. As he joined Tang Li by the door, they left quietly down the hallway.

Jiang Chen stretched his arms and popped his back before walking into the hospital room. He circled around the hospital bed and sat down in the chair next to the head of the bed. He leaned slightly forward and watched his friend sleep soundly, frowning as he noticed the bruises and injuries on her face.

Inhaling deeply, he scooted closer and gently placed his left palm on top of her hand as he lowered his head towards the mattress a few inches from her fingers. He smiled softly and silently vowed to always protect Xiao Xi no matter the cost. Feeling like he could finally rest, Jiang Chen closed his eyes, not realizing how tired he was.

It was another hour before Xiao Xi's parents returned, and when they found Jiang Chen sleeping soundly by Xiao Xi's side, they shared a smile and left to go back to the cafeteria, knowing their daughter was in good hands.

* * *

 **QIAO LU**

* * *

 **(** the next morning)

" _I can't believe they canceled school on account of what happened to Xiao Xi."_ Qiao Lu mumbled to herself as she and Li Wei walked up the stairs to the hospital entrance. _"I mean, I know what my brother did was awful, but why cancel school? It was one student."_

" _Yes, but Xiao Xi's assailant – your brother – hasn't been caught. Parents are already worried for their children and don't want to risk sending their sons and daughters to school since the attacker is still out there."_ Li Wei explained with a soft smile. _"Anyway, let's hurry. The sooner they know what happened, the better it'll be."_

" _So you say… You're not the one who planned to have my brother scare her…"_ Qiao Lu replied, incredulously.

" _I know, but you and I both know that you didn't know that your brother was going to do what he did to Xiao Xi. You may have planned the encounter, but you're not entirely accountable for the results."_ Li Wei said, trying to ease Qiao Lu's mind, but her friend stopped walking and frowned.

Qiao Lu crossed her arms and took a step back. " _Are you sure this is a good idea? What if… what if I get in trouble?"_ she took another step backwards with her suddenly shaky legs. " _Maybe we should turn back and pretend like nothing happened…"_

" _Qiao Lu, I know you're worried about telling Xiao Xi's parents what your brother did, but do you really think we can just forget what happened? Xiao Xi was physically attacked by your brother because he decided to take your plan into his own hands. If you don't say anything, then the guilt will eat you alive. I know you don't really like Xiao Xi, but your dislike for her doesn't justify what happened. And if, later, people find out why your brother attacked her, you'll be in more trouble than if you just tell the truth."_

Qiao Lu inhaled a sharp breath and blew it out slowly, shoving her hands into her pockets. _"I guess so."_

After they walked into the hospital, Li Wei asked for Xiao Xi's room number and tugged Qiao Lu behind her as a nurse led them to the room. Both girls frowned as they appeared at the door, not expecting to see Jiang Chen keeping the poor girl company. Both Jiang Chen and Chen Xiao Xi were sleeping; Xiao Xi on the bed and Jiang Chen resting in a chair with his head resting on the mattress.

Li Wei inhaled deeply and frowned as Qiao Lu rolled her eyes dramatically at the scene, prepared to ruin their classmates' moment. She grabbed Li Wei's hand and tugged her inside the hospital room before rudely calling out, _"Jiang Chen!"_

The boy stirred a little before his eyes slowly fluttered open, but he immediately sprang upward the moment he noticed the two girls standing a few feet from the foot of Xiao Xi's hospital bed. He rubbed his eyes and yawned before standing up to stretch. Without saying anything, he pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time when he noticed a text from Xiao Xi's mother, letting him know they left for breakfast and would bring him back something. He checked the time. 10:02 A.M.

And the first thing he said was, " _Why are you two not in school?"_

" _School cancelled_ ," Li Wei replied sweetly, but the sugar in her voice did not sweeten the annoyed expression on her face.

" _You can thank Xiao Xi for that,"_ Qiao Lu retorted, insensitively. Without preamble, she looked around the room, and her frown deepened. _"Where are her parents? I have something to tell them, and I don't have time to wait all day for them."_

" _They already left for breakfast, leaving Xiao Xi in my charge,"_ Jiang Chen yawned as he turned his attention back to his childhood friend. He noticed a stray strand of hair hovering over her left eye, and he gently reached over to tuck the strand back behind her ear, oblivious of the sour faces behind him. He then turned back towards Qiao Lu and leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together as if trying to keep himself from holding Xiao Xi's hand in the company of others. _"If you can't wait for them, then just tell me, and I'll pass the message along."_

Li Wei was signaling Qiao Lu not to say a word about what she knows, but Qiao Lu just wanted to get it all over with and would rather escape the fire by just telling her classmate instead of possibly getting yelled at by Xiao Xi's parents. _"Very well."_

But before Qiao Lu could speak, the Chens returned quietly as Tang Li swiftly brought a tray of food to Jiang Chen. Guo Wei smiled at the girls and offered his hand to greet both of them. Li Wei feigned a graceful smile and thanked him for his kindness, while Qiao Lu remained stoic.

Tang Li circled around the hospital bed and then bent down to kiss her daughter's forehead before turning to Xiao Xi's guests. Like her husband, she greeted them with a warm smile and took a seat across from Jiang Chen before grasping Xiao Xi's hand in her own.

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up as he remembered something. _"Now that Auntie and Uncle are here, you can tell them what you wanted to say, Qiao Lu."_

Qiao Lu blanched when her name was called out by Jiang Chen, really wishing the ground could swallow her hole. Tang Li and Guo Wei gave Qiao Lu their undivided attention, making her feel even more nervous. When she didn't speak, Li Wei glanced at her best friend before responding on her behalf. _"We heard about what happened to Xiao Xi, and we stopped by to offer our good wishes in hopes that she makes a speedy recovery."_

Tang Li's smile grew ear to ear. _"I'm glad Xiao Xi has friends who care for her. Thank you for your concern."_

Li Wei nodded and then added, _"Additionally, there's something else Qiao Lu would like to say…"_

But the moment was lost on them when an abrupt cough erupted from the patient, causing everyone to turn their attention onto her. Tang Li squeezed her daughter's hand as Guo Wei rushed over and stood by his wife, placing his palms on top of Tang Li's shoulders. Jiang Chen's eyes were trained on Xiao Xi's face as her eyes and nose scrunched before she coughed again, the second time more violently.

Jiang Chen glanced at Xiao Xi's vitals displayed on the machine, noting how fast her heart was beating. He instantly placed his palm over Xiao Xi's forehead and touched his own. _"She has a fever…"_

" _Quick!"_ Tang Li smacked her husband's shoulder. _"Find Doctor Wu!"_

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:** one more chapter of this segment before we move on to the next set! :) I hope you're still with me even though it's been a while since I last updated.

Please let me know what you think! :D


	6. Chapter 6

**WriterFreak001:**

I know it's been a while, but I definitely haven't given up on this story. I've just been suuuuper busy with Real Life.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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 **I Like You**

 *** Part Four (4): Eighth Year – Junior Secondary School (8** **th** **Grade) ***

 **致我** **们单纯** **的小美好**

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As soon as the doctor arrived, everyone – including Xiao Xi's parents – were rushed out of the room and sent away to the local waiting room down the hall. They waited anxiously, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Bored as hell, Qiao Lu wanted to leave, but Li Wei held tightly to her arm and nudged her to speak up. If there was ever a time to say the truth, it was now. The slender girl ignored Qiao Lu's quiet protests and cleared her throat as she sat forward in her chair to cross her ankles together.

" _Uncle? Auntie? We didn't just come to the hospital to see how Xiao Xi was doing… Qiao Lu has something she needs to say…"_

Qiao Lu glared at her friend for a split second before schooling her features. She stood up and walked toward her classmate's parents, but the closer she approached them, the more she lost the will to speak.

Tang Li noticed Qiao Lu's hands shaking and instantly reached out to take her hands into hers. With a soft smile, she said, _"All will be alright, child. Our Xiao Xi is strong and won't let something like this keep her down for long. I can tell you're worried for her; you must be a really good friend."_

Almost instantly, Qiao Lu's confidence roared to life, and she was livid. Without warning, she ripped her hand away from Tang Li and clenched both fists before sharing how she really felt about everything.

" _Actually, we aren't friends, and we never will be! I hate her!"_ Qiao Lu exclaimed, her loud, booming voice startling both of Xiao Xi's parents. Jiang Chen lifted his eyebrows towards his classmate but wasn't surprised by her remark, only her behavior toward their elders. Li Wei tried to grab her friend's arm and pull her away, but Qiao Lu pushed her away, tired of pretending she wasn't angry. _"And you know what? It's her own fault she's in this mess in the first place! If she wasn't such a ditz, her bike would have never been stolen! She would have never had to walk home alone, and she would have never stumbled into that sex-crazed, deranged psycho!_ "

Before anyone had the chance to respond, Qiao Lu stormed away, fuming, but what they didn't see were the tears threatening to fall as she disappeared. Jiang Chen was quiet, wrapped by his own thoughts, unsure how to process what she just said… He never told anyone what happened, and it hasn't been released to the public from the police yet… so how did Qiao Lu know?

Li Wei suddenly rose to her feet, approached Xiao Xi's parents and bowed, her hair sliding off her shoulders and falling past her face. _"Please forgive her! She didn't mean for it to happen this way! She never meant for Xiao Xi to get hurt."_

Go Wei and Tang Li turned slowly toward one another and shared a grave expression before turning their attention back to Li Wei. But before they said anything, Jiang Chen swiftly rose to his feet, causing everyone to look at him. Li Wei gulped when she saw the anger in his eyes before he stormed after Qiao Lu.

" _Jiang Chen! Wait!"_ Li Wei called after him, but he was long gone. If he heard her, he ignored it.

Tang Li captured Li Wei's attention by gesturing her to sit down. Tang Li composed herself and crossed her left knee over her right before saying, " _Tell us everything."_ In a clipped tone, she added, _"Our poor daughter is fighting for her life. You owe us an explanation."_

Guo Wei nodded in agreement, taking hold of his wife's hand and lacing their fingers together for emotional support.

Li Wei stared at the floor, ashamed of herself and inhaled a deep breath before bowing her head. " _It started off in the library…"_

致我们单纯的小美好 ~

Jiang Chen spotted Qiao Lu leaving the hospital with haste and picked up his pace to catch up with her. She pushed past the double door entrance leading to the parking lot behind the hospital, but before she could run too far from the building, Jiang Chen caught her arm, jerking her backwards. Holding her forearm tightly, he stepped towards her to keep her from running off again.

" _What did you do?!"_

Qiao Lu winced from the tightness around her arm and tried to pull free. _"Let go!"_

" _WHAT DID YOU DO?!"_ Jiang Chen yelled angrily, his suddenly-booming voice startling his classmate.

Qiao Lu's confidence wavered, and her strength dissipated, too exhausted to fight back. In a calm voice, she dropped her shoulders in defeat and sighed. _"It was supposed to be a prank… I didn't know he would take things so far…"_

Jiang Chen inhaled a deep breath and calmed himself down before willing himself to speak. _"Who?"_

Qiao Lu looked away as she answered. "My brother."

Jiang Chen closed his eyes to center himself after hearing her response and groaned in frustration. _"Why?"_

She shook her head. _"It doesn't matter now."_

Her response fueled Jiang Chen's anger once again, and he clenched his fists to keep himself from physically punching something. Anything. _"Doesn't matter?! Damn straight it matters! Chen Xiao Xi is fighting for her life!"_

" _You think I don't know that?! Of course, I do! And yeah, I hate her guts. And maybe I took things too far when I asked my brother to scare her, but I never expected him to outright attack her! You have to believe me, Jiang Chen! I was just trying to teach her a lesson, but I honestly didn't know he would do that!"_

Jiang Chen swiftly unlatched his palm from her wrist as if he was burned. _"You have until sundown to report your brother to the police. If you refuse, I'll turn you both in myself."_

" _I can't do that!"_ Qiao Lu's eyes were full of panic.

Jiang Chen didn't care about the reason. He wasn't taking his words back. _"Until sundown."_ He turned to walk back towards the hospital when Qiao Lu grabbed his hand forcefully.

" _If I report him to the police, he'll make my life a living hell! He said so himself!"_ Qiao Lu almost fell backwards when Jiang Chen tore his arm away from her grasp.

He began walking away but stopped for a brief moment before turning around and saying, _"Not my problem."_ And then he was gone.

致我们单纯的小美好 ~

When Jiang Chen arrived back in the waiting room, Li Wei was no where to be seen. He walked up to his best friend's parents and took a seat nearby. _"Any news?"_

" _The operation was successful,"_ Tang Li gave him a sweet smile. _"The doctor is confident that our sweet Xiao Xi will wake up in the next few hours. Chen and I are going to go home and pick up some of Xiao Xi's things. They'll want her to stay over for a few more nights for observation. She can't have visitors yet; they want to wait an hour or so before letting anyone see her again."_ Both parents stood up as Jiang Chen saw Li Wei returning. He gave the Chens a small smile as they turned away but immediately frowned when Li Wei took a seat across from him.

She slowly curled a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned forward slightly as she crossed her ankles. _"Did you find Qiao Lu?"_

He nodded.

" _Did she explain?"_

Again, he nodded.

" _What now?"_

Jiang Chen wouldn't answer and sat silently, his thoughts only drifting to his friend's wellbeing. He sat motionless for many minutes, eventually losing track of the time. It wasn't until Xiao Xi's doctor stopped by did he realize how long it had been. Immediately, he stood up.

" _Chen Xiao Xi?"_

Dr. Wu gave a small smile and folded his clipboard under his arm. _"Are her parents nearby as well?"_

" _They went home to fetch some of Xiao Xi's things… I don't know when they'll be back."_ Jiang Chen replied quietly, turning around to see if he could find the Chens. When he didn't spot them, he turned back towards the doctor and shrugged. _"I guess they're caught in traffic or something."_

Dr. Wu nodded, agreeing with the boy. _"I remember you from earlier."_

Jiang Chen straightened up and muttered, _"I'm their neighbor. I was the one who brought Xiao Xi to the hospital. Speaking of… how is she?"_

The doctor inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly before responding. _"We've moved her to a private room, per her father's request. She's still sleeping right now, but I'm confident she'll wake up in the next half hour or so."_

" _Can she have any visitors?"_ Jiang Chen slipped his hands into his pockets and mindlessly shuffled his feet.

Doctor Wu noticed the boy's subconscious actions and chuckled with a gentle nod. _"But only one for now. Follow me."_

As Jiang Chen began to follow the doctor, Li Wei stayed behind, figuring he didn't want her to follow him. They turned a few corners before entering the new room, and Jiang Chen frowned when he spotted his friend's lifeless body laying limply on top of the bed with wires and tubes everywhere.

" _Will you be okay by yourself?"_ Dr. Wu asked as he stood by the door, and Jiang Chen nodded.

" _We'll be fine."_

As the doctor left, Jiang Chen took a seat in the empty chair next to Xiao Xi's hospital bed and automatically wrapped his palm around hers, hoping for any sign of response. But though there was life beating through her fingers, her hand was lifeless like the rest of her body.

Jiang Chen glanced at the door and checked to see if anyone was coming, but when he determined they were alone for the time being, he slowly brought her hand to his lips and grazed a soft kiss against her knuckles.

He raised his other hand over her bangs and gently combed his fingers through them, smoothing out the straying pieces. _"You're going to get better,"_ he whispered in her ear, " _I know you will_."

He was going to whisper something else – something he knew would change things between them if she ever heard him utter those words, but he didn't get a chance. He immediately straightened up and slipped his hand away from hers when he heard footsteps and voices coming from the hall.

He whipped his phone out of his pocket and leaned back against his chair, pretending to read something when Xiao Xi's parents stepped inside, along with a nurse who was coming in to check the patient's vitals.

" _And how is our Xiao Xi doing?"_ Tang Li asked Jiang Chen as he stood up to help her carry his friend's belongings into the room. He took the bags from Tang Li and placed them down on a small table at the far corner of the room before replying.

" _She's still sleeping, but Dr. Wu is confident she'll wake up soon."_ Jiang Chen's eyes moved towards Xiao Xi and then back to Tang Li. Before he could stop, he suddenly let out an abrupt yawn. He mindlessly rubbed his eyes and then returned to his chair as he yawned again.

" _Jiang Chen, don't trouble yourself."_ Guo Wei said as he brought in the last bag. _"We can take care of Xiao Xi for the next few hours. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"_

Jiang Chen shook his head. _"I'm fine here. My mom's not going be home again for another few days so I'd rather stay here."_ He yawned again and leaned backwards against the chair. _"If you don't mind, I'll just take a small nap."_

Guo Wei and Tang Li shared a gentle look and both smiled as the boy started drifting away.

" _Go to sleep, Jiang Chen,"_ Tang Li whispered. _"We'll wake you when she wakes up."_

He couldn't fall asleep any faster.

致我们单纯的小美好 ~

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 **WRITERFREAK001:**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was brief. I think there will be at least one more chapter for this storyline before we move onto the next section: Ninth Grade.**

 **If you have any ficlet requests for this pairing, please let me know! I'd love to write more on Jiang Chen and Xiao Xi.**

 **Remember to leave a review! :D**


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